Accomplishment vs Achievement
Accomplishment and achievement are two words that we commonly hear and use to refer to our feats and milestones in our lives and professions. If we successfully finish or complete a task, we feel proud of ourselves and have a desire to let the world know about what we have achieved or accomplished. Whether we pass a test, or show skills to reach a goal, we talk of accomplishments and achievements in the same breath. However, the two words are not synonymous, and there are subtle differences between accomplishment and achievement that will be clear after reading this article.
Accomplishment
Any prestigious or challenging project, when completed with aplomb by a worker or an employee is referred to as an accomplishment. For a man, cleaning the house may be an accomplishment and he may feel proud of his completed task whereas this may be nothing more than daily chores for a housewife. In general, accomplishment is a feeling of satisfaction and pride that one may feel when he performs a job or task that may be considered hard or difficult. It often becomes difficult for a person when filling out the form when applying for a job when he is asked to write about his achievements in one section while he is required to mention his accomplishments too. For a common man, being able to build a home for the family is an accomplishment, of which he may feel proud. No job or task is too big or small to be termed as an accomplishment. If Mahatma Gandhi brought the British to their knees, making them treat Indians with dignity and equality first in South Africa and then in India, his efforts would qualify as accomplishments and not achievements.
Achievement
Passing an exam or getting a degree is an achievement. This is why a resume is full of academic and career achievements to impress the prospective employer. You set out goals for yourself in life, whether educational or professional, and completing or touching these goals is considered as achievements by you. All people take pride in listing their achievements whenever they get an audience or an opportunity to speak at a platform. This is true of an engineer boasting about his efforts in increasing the revenues of the company or a minister drawing attention to her efforts in increasing the participation of people in the activities of the church.
What is the difference between Accomplishment and Achievement?
• Achievements are goals or landmarks that have been reached. On the other hand, accomplishments are both simple and tough tasks that have been completed by a person.
• Building a house may be a dream for a person and when it is finally built, he is said to have accomplished his long standing desire or dream.
• Achievements are goals that are clearly spelt out like completing college or winning a race at Olympics.
• Accomplishments in a resume pertain to completing complex or difficult projects.